Red Clouds

Wow! What a storm we just had. After the rain past, of course there was a rainbow. Soon after there were cotton ball type clouds. As the night approached, than the clouds turned red. This to me was the best part of the storm.

I hate rain. But this time I was grateful for the storm. It was so hot and humid that the sweat would not even evaporate. Now as I looked to the red clouds, I can feel how much cooler it is.

We needed the rain. We sometimes need the storms. Yet, I am always glad for the rainbows and red clouds. I know that it means that it is all over for now. So, I will enjoy the red clouds tonight and sleep well with the cooler temperature.

Butterfly Eggs

Finally, I got pictures of the Baltimore checker-spotted butterfly eggs. It has come full circle. I watched the caterpillar turn into a cocoon, than into a butterfly. I capture them as they mate and now the eggs.

It is so exciting to see how God's creatures live the life that they were created to live. They do not fight with God and try to be something that they are not. Their lives are simple.

But it is not so for me. I question everything and I am not always sure of my place in life. Life is not simple.

The one thing I do is turn to God. He gives me the answers I seek and helps me to know what His plans are for me.

He blesses me with the desires of my heart, when it goes along with His desires for me. Like today, getting to see the butterfly eggs was a true blessing.

Bird Nest

For years now I have been trying to get a picture of a red-winged blackbird's nest. The problem has been that they built them deep in the field of cattails.

This day as I watched the blackbirds flying in and out of the cattails, I notice one was pretty close to me. As I try hard to place where the nest must be, a gust of wind blew against the field and exposed the nest for me.

I tried to take pictures with my camera but was to close. If  I backed up I would lose my view. I thank God for cell phones. I took it out and got this pictures.

God is so good to me. He loves giving me some of the desires of my heart.

I know I can not have all my desires of my heart. If this was so, I would live in a mansion, drive new cars and never run out of money.

Today He gave me what I needed. This is all I can ask for, because it made me smile the rest of the day. God is GOOD.



 

Butterfly droplets

Today after the morning rain, I set off to Harford Glen to check on the cocoon that I am waiting to open. While I did not see any Baltimore checker-spotted butterflies, I did see some cool things.

There were many other bugs, butterflies and birds enjoying the refreshing air. There was this one butterfly that seemed to be drinking from the water droplets. He was just as pretty as the checker-spotted. So I did not mind not seeing them today.

The checker-spotted cocoon has not open yet. So I will check on it tomorrow.

Today I drank in the sights of the Glen and its many creatures. Just like this butterfly, I found the water droplets refreshing and was drawn to them.

The rain seemed to renew the plants and  provided refreshment for the many lives making the Glen their home. It was a pleasure watching the interactions of the butterfly and the water droplets. It refreshed me as well.

Pollywog Catfish

Note: This picture is not ripped. That left bottom corner is just a white rock that the fishes were swimming around.

As I watch what I thought was a school of polliwogs, I notice that there was something different about these baby frogs. These tadpoles had whiskers. On closer look, I realized that they were baby catfishes.

This was another first for me. They were so tiny and of course so cute. There were so many that it was easy to mistake them for polliwogs.

God keeps blessing me with new discoveries. I never know what I am going to see each day. I never go out each day thinking that I have seen it all. There is too many wonders to find. Even if I live to be 100, I will never get to see it all.

So as I get older each day, I will keep looking for those great find, like these pollywog catfishes.

Dragonfly Love

I am always on the look out for evidences of how God's creatures multiply. You know, make babies. When I came across this pair of dragonflies, I had to take several pictures.

I notice the one on the right looks like she was producing eggs. Or maybe it was the one on the left. It was really hard to tell. Anyway, it was interesting to see. I wished I could have stayed to see what they would do with the eggs.

I want so bad to get the whole cycle of anything. Butterflies, dragonflies and birds. Tomorrow I do have permission to go each day to Harford Glen to keep an eye out on one of the cocoons. I just praying that it has not hatched these past two days.

I feel like there is so much to see and learn about God creatures. Each day I can not wait to see what I might discover.

Baltimore Butterfly

They are here. Today I spotted two Baltimore Checker-spotted Butterflies. I have been waiting for a month for them to emerge from their cocoons. There is still one that I have kept my eye on that is still intact. I had hope to catch them as they made their way out. But I would have to camp out at Harford Glen to get to see that.

These butterflies has captured my interest only because of the work that it is taking to build up the populations. While they are not on the endanger list, they are few in numbers and are on the watch list.

It is good to see the effort here is helping to change the tide of the butterfly. For such a tiny thing, they demand a lot of care and attention.

I think I will get in touch with the office of Harford Glen and see if they will let me come everyday until the last cocoon opens. Right now they are open to the public only on the weekends. Until than I will stop by every weekends and get what pictures I can get.

Robin Myth

I was always told never to touch a birds nest, because the mother birds would abandon the babies. This is a myth.

The storm we had a few days ago caused the robin's nest to fall from the tree at the Mariner. A certain lady walking by notice the nest on the ground and proceeded to put it back into the tree. She than picked up each chick and placed them in the nest.

Two days later I stopped by the Mariner office and was told about the robins. So I went over to see if the robins were still alive. I was sure that they would not be because of the myth.

To my surprise, the mother was still taking care of them, The chicks look healthy and hungry. The mother robin did not abandon them.

Many people have the same myth about God. We think that if we fall out of His grace that He will abandon us. But that is a myth. God will never abandon us. Like the mother robin, He still cares for us and helps us to get healthy and strong.

God's Wink

Today I went to the burial of a dear young man. He passed away unexpectedly.

I have known this special talented man since he was twelve years old. We were going to Bel Air Bible Chapel at that time. My children and the Swiston's children played together throughout the years.

We left the church and four years later we join Mountain. So when I joined the writer's group at Mountain he soon became a member as well. Now he was all grown up.

Throughout the next fifteen plus years he would pop in and out of the group. I was always in awe of the new adventure he would be pursuing. I always felt God was going to do something great with him.

So, with a heavy heart, I stood there at the burial site asking God why. I notice this brown butterfly moving in and out of each of the attendances. He landed on me. It was than I understood.

His aunt came over to tell me that it was God giving me a wink. Glenn is transformed from his earthly form into a Godly form. God is using his talents now in heaven.

I will always hold a place in my heart for Glenn. I am thankful for the times spent with him. Whenever I see a brown butterfly, I know that it will be a God's wink to remind me of His love for Glenn and for us all.

Eagle Fishing

My husband and I hit the jackpot when we went to the dam yesterday. It was a great day for watching the eagles, herons and ospreys chasing each other over the fishes that were caught.

There were many times one eagle would catch a fish only to drop it when another eagle came after them. Once the fish hit the water another eagle would swoop down and recaptures it. One time when a cormorant poked his head out of the water with a fish in his mouth, an eagle did his best to snatch it out.

The Conowingo Dam became a battle ground. It was cool watching the interactions of the birds of prey. There has been many times we would go there and nothing was happening at all. This day the eagles were fishing and we were snapping away.

Chickadee's Delight

Yum! Yum! I can only imagine what the baby chickadees are thinking when their parent brings them this chickadee delight. They would take turns bring spiders, worms and other bugs.

As they enter the nest the babies chirps in anticipation of a hardy meal. They were getting their full because the park was a smorgasbord of food.

God provides me with a smorgasbord of graces everyday. I know I chirp out in anticipations of the blessings He delights in bringing to me. Like the chickadee, I look forward to the spiders, worms and bugs that my Father in heaven provides. I can not wait for my chickadee's delights each day.